Compact Cooking: 15 Modular & Multipurpose Kitchen Designs

Most of us only use our kitchens a couple times daily, so why should they take up an entire room of valuable space? Compact, modular kitchens that can be packed away when not in use or expanded when you want entertain make a lot of sense, especially for the modern urban lifestyle. These 15 concepts range from space-saving wall-mounted kitchens for small spaces to countertop appliances that pack in multiple functions.

Outpost Add-A-Kitchen for the Office

While it was designed specifically with offices in mind, it’s not hard to imagine the Outpost modular kitchen in studio apartments, guest rooms and emergency shelters as well. The two-part system offers storage, individual ‘fridge cubes’, an oven, an induction tea set, a coffee maker and eating surfaces to keep all food-related functions contained in one space rather than spread out all over your co-workers’ desks.

nFridge Modular Refrigerator

Need a little more space in your refrigerator for temporary house guests? Just add an extra cold cube. The NFridge concept, created for the Electrolux Global Design Lab, breaks a fridge down into small cooling components that can be stacked on the ground or mounted to a wall to save space. It’s covered in a soft-touch digital membrane that’s resistant to dust and water, and uses magnetic refrigeration to produce cold more rapidly than conventional refrigerator technology.

Kitchen a la Carte

Anywhere with plumbing and electricity can play host to Kitchen A La Carte, which breaks all the major functions of a kitchen down into small suitcase-like packs with wheels. These units can be pulled to a new location and quickly re-assembled.

Elements Modular Kitchen

Do you like having some shelf space above the stove for spices, or prefer to have your sink right next to the cooktop for easy cleaning? Electrolux Elements allows you to configure the various elements of a kitchen in any way you like, adding lighting, storage, cooking surfaces, refrigerators and other components as desired. The units draw power wirelessly through ‘powerboat’ technology supplied through the wall, which is supplemented with solar energy.

Accordion Expandable Kitchen

A space-saving geometric table hides far more function than you’d expect, stretching out like an accordion to reveal a sink, chopping board and storage for items like glassware and utensils. It takes up very little space when not in use, and many elements have a double purpose, like drawer covers that can be turned over and used as food preparation surfaces.